Inside Pippa Middleton's Life Today
Pippa Middleton might not have planned on becoming famous, but when her sister, Kate Middleton, married Prince William, the entire family was flung into the spotlight. After wearing an eye-catching bridesmaid dress at her older sister's royal wedding in April 2011, Pippa became a celebrity in her own right, and subsequently scored a book deal worth 400,000 pounds by that November. But despite becoming a household name, Pippa has continued to live a relatively quiet life — and has even struggled with the often negative public perception of her.
"I have felt publicly bullied a little bit just by, you know, when I read things that clearly aren't true or that, whichever way someone looks at it, it's a negative side," the English socialite revealed during a 2014 interview on the Today show, before emotionally adding, "It is quite difficult. Because eventually I'm just paving my way and trying to live a life like any 30-year-old." Even though Pippa has faced trials and tribulations over the years, she has also carved out a career all on her own while seeing some major developments in her personal life.
Join us as we take a look inside Pippa Middleton's life today.
Pippa Middleton gave birth to her first baby
Her older sister may have married a real-life prince, but Pippa Middleton got a fairytale wedding of her own six years later when she tied the knot with former race car driver James Matthews in May 2017. Kate Middleton's younger sis has since mainly stayed out of the limelight, but about a year and a half after getting hitched, Pippa welcomed her first child, a son called Arthur.
Pippa's rep confirmed the happy baby news to USA Today, revealing that the couple's baby boy had arrived on Oct. 15, 2018: "Everyone is delighted and Mother and baby are doing well." The publication also noted that Pippa gave birth in the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital in London, the very same place that sister Kate welcomed all three of her own children with Prince William: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
The Telegraph also confirmed the news, with a Kensington Palace statement telling the London-based newspaper that Prince William and Duchess Kate were "thrilled" for Pippa and her husband, and were even among the first to congratulate the new parents. Born to a socialite mom and multi-millionaire dad, little Arthur will undoubtedly grow up in a privileged environment — but without a royal title or set of duties of his own, his upbringing will be much different from his royal cousins.
Pippa Middleton shared her pregnancy workout routine
True to form, Pippa Middleton kept her pregnancy with son Arthur relatively low-key, only confirming the news in a Waitrose magazine column two months after The Sun first reported that baby No. 1 was on his way. At the time, sources cited by the tabloid revealed that the mom-to-be was "obviously thrilled and utterly overjoyed" about expecting, but had kept only those close to her in the loop.
That all changed, however, when Middleton decided to share some behind-the-scenes details in her Waitrose column. Discussing her exercise routine during her third trimester, she explained, "Swimming throughout pregnancy offers a wonderful feeling of weightlessness. As the months pass, you feel heavier by the day, but being in water gives that floating, light-as-air feeling that soothes and relieves the body, counteracts increased back strain and stretches the legs from the growing bump."
Middleton continued with her exercise routine right up until the ninth month of pregnancy, but revealed, "As the final month nears and the bump grows prouder each day, movement is certainly getting more awkward." To counteract the difficulties she began experiencing while moving closer toward her due date, Middleton took up meditation and tried to walk and stretch whenever possible, to better prepare her body for the baby's arrival.
Pippa Middleton's son takes swimming lessons
While Pippa Middleton found swimming to be the perfect form of exercise to do during pregnancy, she has already passed on the skill to her young son, Arthur. In an April 2019 column for Waitrose Kitchen magazine, the proud mom finally broke her silence on motherhood, writing (via Entertainment Tonight), "Starting my son Arthur swimming at four months old has given him confidence and enjoyment in water." She continued, "He's now six months old, and swimming is one of our [favorite] activities. The exercise helps guarantee sound daytime sleeps, and the movement has improved his digestion."
Emphasizing that "water activity is a great form of exercise you can do with your baby," Middleton made it clear that she was keen to encourage other parents to work out and stay active, too. Although the socialite's updates about her son have been rare, it's adorable and super sweet to hear that this mother-baby duo have found such a unique way to bond together.
Pippa Middleton takes Arthur to a baby gym
Along with introducing her son, Arthur, to swimming lessons at an early age, Pippa Middleton also decided to start taking him to another nearby spot for other fun and healthy activities.
In October 2019, the proud mom wrote in her Waitrose Weekend column (via Hello!), "Now that Arthur is 11 months old and more mobile, I have been trying to come up with different activities to do with him." She continued, "I needed to find something more than just park walks in the pram. Our local baby gym has been a saving grace. It's a big space full of fun, soft objects, play mats, stairs, balls, swings, mini trampolines, and more to stimulate and physically engage babies and toddlers."
According to the Daily Mail, Middleton resides with her husband, James Matthews, and their son in a West London property that cost Matthews approximately 17 million pounds to purchase back in 2014. As if the cost of their house wasn't expensive enough, the publication reported that the couple spent an additional 1.2 million pounds renovating and extending the property. It would seem that Middleton has not only made a perfect for her growing family (the pad even boasts a home gym for mom and dad!), but has also found some wonderful support close by to entertain her young son.
Pippa Middleton recommends cranial oestopathy
It's safe to say that Pippa Middleton is extremely focused on the well-being of her son, Arthur. Despite only being seen occasionally in public since Arthur's birth, the mom-of-one has continued to open up about the unusual activities she plans for him. According to People, Middleton wrote in another October 2019 Waitrose Weekend column, "Soon after Arthur was born last year, I heard a few moms talking about seeing a cranial osteopath." Kate Middleton's younger sister went on to explain, "It's a popular alternative therapy for newborns, particularly those who have had a traumatic birth, are unsettled, or have trouble sleeping."
Even though Pippa admitted that there was "a lack of scientific evidence" regarding the practice, she recommended the effects of cranial osteopathy, especially in Arthur's day-to-day life. "It claims to heal, relax and promote sleep, digestion and body alignment through gentle head and body manipulation," she revealed, explaining that she first booked her son in for a session when he was seven months old. According to James Matthews' wife, their baby appeared to find the treatment "calming." Pippa was also given advice on how to strengthen Arthur's legs, after the osteopath noticed that the baby had much stronger arms.
While cranial osteopathy might not be for everyone, proud mom Pippa seemed to be pleased with the results.
Does Pippa Middleton take style tips from sister Kate?
In June 2020, Hello! magazine noticed that Pippa Middleton appeared to have taken style tips from her older sister — at least when it came to dressing son Arthur. Citing a mother-son appearance from around that time, the publication noted, "Arthur could be seen wearing a navy blue outfit much like the shade Princes Louis and George are often seen in — and Arthur's shorts and plimsolls combo is certainly reminiscent of Kate's choices for her own children."
It would definitely make sense that Pippa would have a similar sense of style to her sister, the Duchess of Cambridge, especially as the siblings have so often dressed alike themselves. The previous December, another photo of Arthur surfaced, which showed the toddler wearing striped blue-and-white shorts, navy-and-white plimsolls, and a white polo shirt. Not only was the outfit reminiscent of something Prince George might wear, but little Arthur looked the spitting image of a young Prince Louis.
It seems as though the Middletons are keeping it in the family when it comes to styling their kiddos. It's adorable and totally relatable, and we can't help but wonder if Arthur's wardrobe features any royal hand-me-downs.
Pippa Middleton has reportedly used a fake name
In one of the stranger updates regarding Pippa Middleton, it was reported in March 2020 that the author of Celebrate had taken to ordering cabs under a fake name.
In the United Kingdom, it's common to phone and book a taxicab journey in advance, rather than flag one down in the street. According to the Daily Mail, a source revealed that they'd gotten suspicious when a woman ordered a taxi under the surname Middleton, claiming, "She ordered a taxi for Lucy Middleton and kept ringing, asking if I was there yet because she was hiding in a dark doorway." And that's not all. The taxi driver-turned-sleuth decided to find out whether he had, in fact, transported one Pippa Middleton. "I later Googled the name and saw Lucy Middleton [Pippa and Kate's cousin] in a picture with Pippa," the insider said, "And realized it was actually Pippa in my cab."
It's pretty amusing to imagine Pippa Middleton using a fake name when she travels. Although, considering the fact that she's famous all over the world, this English socialite probably just wanted a little privacy — and who could blame her?
Pippa Middleton's ex married into royalty
Before Pippa Middleton settled down with James Matthews, she dated another well-connected man who has since married into the royal family. As reported by the Daily Mail, before Thomas Kingston married Gabriella Windsor, who is 52nd in line to the British throne as of this writing, he reportedly dated Pippa. In 2013, the former couple was spotted on multiple dates, and attended Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse together that March 14, 2013 (pictured, above). However, Kingston has since denied that he was ever "romantically involved" with the Duchess of Cambridge's sister, per the Daily Mail, which seems like a strange claim to make, considering the fact that there appears to be photographic evidence.
One so-called "friend" of Kingston's told the Daily Mail, "Tom's great achievement is that none of his old girlfriends have anything but nice things to say about him. Even when it's all over, they still like him." It would seem that this review of Kingston's love life is very true, as Pippa attended her ex's wedding to his new royal beau in May 2019.
Pippa Middleton's family celebrated a milestone
Not unlike sister Pippa Middleton, Kate Middleton's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, were thrown into the spotlight when their eldest daughter married a prince. Also parents to son James Middleton, Carole and Michael's marriage has gone from strength to strength. In fact, the couple celebrated its 40th wedding anniversary on June 21, 2020, an occasion that is sure to have been special for the entire family.
While it's unclear how the Middleton clan celebrated such a momentous occasion, Woman & Home suggested, "Despite the country still being in lockdown, we're sure the Middletons will find a way to mark the big day together, perhaps with a barbeque or picnic outside." We wouldn't be surprised — while they're now famous all over the world, the Middletons still regularly spend time together as a family. In December 2019, photos emerged of Pippa hitting the beach alongside her mom in St. Barths, with brother James and his fiancée, Alizee Thevenet, also joining in on the family festivities.
Regardless of whether Pippa got to celebrate her parents' 40th wedding anniversary in person or not, it seems that the Middletons have remained a tight-knit family, giving Pippa a strong support network amid all the fame and fortune.
Pippa Middleton celebrated her son's first birthday
Perhaps the biggest milestone in Pippa Middleton's life in recent years was the first birthday of her son, Arthur. Although it's not known exactly how the family of three celebrated the important occasion, the proud mom was photographed taking her son out in his stroller on Oct. 15, 2019, which just so happened to be the day he turned one. Since then, young Arthur has grown up so much. In June 2020, Middleton took her toddler outside near to their London home, and Arthur was snapped walking alongside his mom. Adorably pushing a baby doll in a stroller, he looked extremely grown up in a pair of sneakers, navy blue shorts, and a matching vest.
As for what the future holds, Middleton will likely continue to live her life as low-key as possible, despite being linked to the British royal family. As she told the Today show back in 2014, "I just, you know, try to live my life as it was normally with, sort of, good friends and family and try and not think of myself as any different." Echoing this statement was a source cited by People two years later, who claimed that Middleton and husband James Matthews had a "'deep desire' to disappear from the spotlight in the long term," while planning to lead "a quiet life" with their family.